Women's March 2018: Thousands of per-sisters take to the streets in Seneca Falls

A live look from the Women March in Seneca Falls on Jan. 20, 2017.
Meghan Finnerty

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The Women's March took place on Saturday, January 20 in Seneca Falls. Over 10,000 people came out to rally and march through Seneca Falls, home to the first women's rights convention.(Photo11: Olivia Lopez, Olivia Lopez/@olopez4/Staff Photographer)Buy Photo

At the hallowed grounds of the women’s rights movement Saturday, thousands gathered at Women March Seneca Falls.

It is far from the first time women gathered at this Seneca County site to fight for equality. The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 was the first women’s rights convention held in the United States.

“Our arms are tired from holding this sign since 1872,” a sign read, made by Village of Scottsville friends, a reference to the year in which Susan B. Anthony was arrested for attempting to vote, albeit 48 years before women were legally granted the right to vote.

The Women's March took place on Saturday, January 20 in Seneca Falls. Over 10,000 people came out to rally and march through Seneca Falls, home to the first women's rights convention. Olivia Lopez, Olivia Lopez/@olopez4/Staff Photographer

The Women's March took place on Saturday, January 20 in Seneca Falls. Over 10,000 people came out to rally and march through Seneca Falls, home to the first women's rights convention. Olivia Lopez, Olivia Lopez/@olopez4/Staff Photographer

The Women's March took place on Saturday, January 20 in Seneca Falls. Over 10,000 people came out to rally and march through Seneca Falls, home to the first women's rights convention. Olivia Lopez, Olivia Lopez/@olopez4/Staff Photographer

Proudly holding their signs, Jeanne Stanczyk, left, and her daughter Emma Stanczyk, 14, came from Buffalo to show their support for the march in Seneca Falls on Saturday. Olivia Lopez, Olivia Lopez/@olopez4/Staff Photographer

The Women's March took place on Saturday, January 20 in Seneca Falls. Over 10,000 people came out to rally and march through Seneca Falls, home to the first women's rights convention. Olivia Lopez, Olivia Lopez/@olopez4/Staff Photographer

The Women's March took place on Saturday, January 20 in Seneca Falls. Over 10,000 people came out to rally and march through Seneca Falls, home to the first women's rights convention. Olivia Lopez, Olivia Lopez/@olopez4/Staff Photographer

The Women's March took place on Saturday, January 20 in Seneca Falls. Over 10,000 people came out to rally and march through Seneca Falls, home to the first women's rights convention. Olivia Lopez, Olivia Lopez/@olopez4/Staff Photographer

The Women's March took place on Saturday, January 20 in Seneca Falls. Over 10,000 people came out to rally and march through Seneca Falls, home to the first women's rights convention. Olivia Lopez, Olivia Lopez/@olopez4/Staff Photographer

Generators were found, and the crowd rallied to music, speeches and chanting.

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Thousands came out to march in support of women's rights in Seneca Falls on Saturday, January 20, 2018.
Olivia Lopez

Women’s marches happened all over the country Saturday, but Gabrielle Fish and Delanie and Connie Sickler said there is no better place to march than the birthplace of women’s rights.

Delanie Sickler said this was her first trip to Seneca Falls, something she considered a pilgrimage. However, they were disappointed that the center was closed due to the government shutdown and Connie Sickler vowed — in the spirit of the event — to come back.

"There is something wrong with the fact that (some) national parks all over the country are open and the national park which honors the birthplace of women’s rights is shut down," said New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. “Is it a coincidence that we're gathered here today?”

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The Women's March took place on Saturday, January 20 in Seneca Falls. Over 10,000 people came out to rally and march through Seneca Falls, home to the first women's rights convention.(Photo11: Olivia Lopez, Olivia Lopez/@olopez4/Staff Photographer)

However, the shutdown did not shut down the crowd's spirit.

“I’m excited that it’s not just women here,” Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said. “We’ve had a voice for many, many years, and we're not going away. We’re tired of what’s happening to women across this country and we're going to stand up and we’re going to stand together."

Holding a sign that read, “I hate crowds but I hate misogyny even more,” Kim Pohlig of Rochester dressed as a suffragist.

The densely packed crowd was peaceful. An official of the Seneca Falls Police Department said more people attended this year than last, estimating more than 10,000 people were in attendance.

Like the Myerses and thousands of others making return visits to Seneca Falls, William Gonzalez, 46, of Auburn, marched in 2017 and said it was so exciting he had to come back.

“It’s so inspiring to know that we’re resisting as much as ever,” said Gonzalez, who noted he is fighting for every human being who is disenfranchised.

Sadie Newcombe, a 19-year-old Niagara University student, said she hopes the march will be an example.

"To me, being a feminist is not a dirty word. I believe that as a woman I’m equal to men economically, socially, politically," Newcombe said. "I think it’s important for us to spread a message that feminism isn’t some man-hating thing where you burn your bras," but rather, it’s about equality.